KIRTLAND, Ohio -- Unable to depend on solid support from some in his own party, President Bush on Friday brought his idea to overhaul Social Security straight to the people of Ohio.

Lawmakers will be forced to address the issue once citizens understand there will not be enough workers in the future to continue the same level of support for Social Security, the Republican president told a friendly crowd at Lakeland Community College, about 30 miles east of Cleveland.

"The math doesn't add up," Bush said.

The event was invitation-only, but Cleveland is the state's largest media market and Bush's message will be covered statewide, giving the president an opportunity to sell his proposal to people who live in the critical swing state that gave him the electoral votes needed to win re-election.

"To get the pulse of this state is almost like getting the pulse of the nation," said Peter Schramm, director of the John Ashbrook Center for Public Policy at Ashland University. He worked in the U.S. Department of Education during the GOP Reagan administration.

Schramm said Bush, in his typical fashion, started off slow in effectively selling his Social Security plans. But Schramm believes the Ohio visit signals Bush is about to put increased focus on the issue, which will likely result in more support.

While this was the president's first visit to Lakeland Community College, he's more than familiar with Kirtland -- this marks his third visit to this region of Lake County in the last nine months.